If you’re in the market for a new laptop and are searching for electronics voucher codes, then you may also have thought about trading in your old laptop. However, according to new research by consumer guide Which? you may be better off doing so privately than via an official website.
As part of an in-depth investigation, the watchdog looked at five websites and requested valuations for five laptops – the price valuations it received ranged from as little as £34 to £202 – with a 2009 MacBook valued as low as £67. It also revealed that equivalent models fetch much higher prices on eBay.
What is your laptop worth?
The five websites under investigation were: webuyanylaptop.co.uk; buymylaptop.co.uk; Asda’s Tech Trade-in; laptoptrade-in.co.uk; and sellyourlaptops.co.uk. There were stalk contrasts between each of the websites. For example, it compared prices for an Acer Aspire 8920G with an original value of £750 and received prices from £75 at Asda’s Tech Trade-in to £104 at laptoptrade-in.co.uk. Amazingly, the same laptop could have been sold on eBay for £410.
The website that consistently offered the lowest prices was sellyourlaptop.co.uk. When quizzed by the BBC, the company’s director Sean Colson suggested that the website had been a victim of its own success. As the person behind the website is a sole trader, and was receiving 6,000 requests a month, they had to put prices down to “silly money” to reduce demand. He said that the company has now undergone an overhaul and is offering people the option to get quotes from local dealers.
All of the websites follow the same basic pattern. Users enter details of what they want to sell and are offered a quote. They then receive a padded box in which to post the equipment – and many of the websites actually offer lower quotes when they receive the machines.
Getting a good deal on your next laptop
However you choose to dispose of your old laptop, make sure you’re even more careful when it comes to finding a good deal on your next model. Prices of electronic goods can vary widely between retailers, but the best deals are generally found online due to the savings companies can make on overheads. Still you should not just buy without comparing prices first – and also looking for electronics voucher codes. Currently there is a host of electronics voucher codes available at Moneysaver.ie including: a £5 discount on all offers over £50 at Conrad Electronic; 10 per cent off at House of Marley; and a £50 voucher when you spend over £2,001 at Electrical Discount UK. Also look out for Dell voucher codes, with the laptop manufacturer regularly offering new deals through Moneysaver.ie.